"There are 17 days left on Roland Martin's CNN contract. But the powers that be appear to be shutting it down early. With his contract ending April 6, some producers have been informed not to book him, FishbowlDC has learned. We knew something was awry when we noticed Martin hadn't tweeted his usual #bringthefunk alert on Twitter that he'd be appearing on [Erin Burnett's] 'Out Front,' which he hasn't done in a month. On Wednesday he tweeted that he did Canadian TV. The Canadians can find time to bring Martin's funk, but not CNN?

"Let's get this straight. That semi-usual appearance he had on Thursdays during Carol Costello's slot? Gone. It's been three weeks since he appeared on her program and months since he appeared on 'The Situation Room.' He was also [nonexistent] during CNN Inauguration coverage in January. A final appearance on his close friend, Soledad O'Brien's program, which ends next week? That appears to be a dead end proposition, too. . . ."

Martin told Journal-isms he had nothing to say about the report, and a CNN spokeswoman did not respond to an inquiry.

Meanwhile, Martin disclosed that he actually learned in December that his contract was not being renewed. He left the impression until this week that no decision had been made.

Obie also asked, "But with the loss of Soledad O’Brien and now you, and Jeff Zucker naming Jake Tapper the 'face of the new CNN,' do you think that the vision Zucker has for CNN may be a 'White-out?' "

Martin replied, "Look, I don't know. We haven't seen the full vision [of Zucker yet]. That determination will have to be made later; it's very early in the game. That's pretty much all I can say to that.

"One of the things I always talk about is having multiple opportunities, multiple platforms and revenue streams to be able to lay out your message. At CNN, I just come in when they call, but I have had the advantage of having other platforms where I was able to talk to cabinet secretaries and the First Lady and the Vice President, the President and Senators. And I think that what's most important is, I’ve always kept a foot in Black media. I’m absolutely committed to building up Black media and I think that is absolutely important in 2013 that we have strong Black cable networks, strong Black websites, magazines, and newspapers where we're able to focus on our issues and our stories and highlight our people and not necessarily wait for somebody else to do it. . . .

"I start every job with the premise, 'You’re going to get fired anyway.' I've lost jobs before, I've had contracts not renewed and it didn't get me down. I didn't get upset, I just keep it moving. . . ."

"Three brothers on a couch, now two. Thank you, guys," Lemon said in concluding the segment. Later, Lemon discussed the closing of schools in African American neighborhoods in Chicago with George Howell, a black journalist newly made a full-time CNN correspondent.

Kendall Gill, a Comcast SportsNet Chicago Bulls analyst, has been suspended for the remainder of the Bulls season after a physical altercation with Big Ten Network analyst Tim Doyle in the CSN newsroom Tuesday, Kevin Cross, news director of Comcast SportsNet Chicago, said on Friday.

"We have made a decision to not have Kendall Gill appear on our air for the remainder of the Bulls season," which ends April 17, Cross said in a statement. "We will re-evaluate our current position on this matter during the off-season."

"Mr. Gill confronted Mr. Doyle in the newsroom over critical comments he had made on the air about Mr. Gill's analysis of the controversial final moments of Monday's Chicago Bulls-Denver Nuggets game. The referees ruled that what at first appeared to be a last-second basket by the Bulls would not be allowed, thus giving the win to the Nuggets. The altercation happened right in front of me as Mr. Doyle and I were walking through the CSN newsroom on our way out of the building.

"Mr. Gill approached Mr. Doyle and called him out for his comments, which escalated to a shoving match and ultimately Mr. Gill throwing a punch at Mr. Doyle. The two bumped up against a sign on the wall and a small amount of blood was drawn (though it was unclear exactly how) before the two were separated. . . ."

Ecker added, "Mr. Gill, a former University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign star and 15-year NBA veteran who had a short stint in boxing after his playing career, has been doing pregame and postgame live coverage of Bulls games on CSN Chicago. . . ."

The American Copy Editors Society hosted a Twitter chat Tuesday on diversity issues and sensitivity in editing when race is the topic, with tips offered by Doris Truong, immediate past national president of the Asian American Journalists Association and vice president of Unity: Journalists for Diversity, and Rhonda LeValdo, president of the Native American Journalists Association.

"Kim Brown, who hosts a syndicated show on the Voice of Russia Radio Network that airs in Washington, where she lives, as well as in New York, Miami and Chicago, attended the CPAC panel hosted by black conservative activist K. Carl Smith, called 'Trump the Race Card: Are You Sick And Tired Of Being Called A Racist When You Know You’re Not One?'

"In an interview with theGrio on Wednesday, Brown said the session was held in a small room that quickly filled to capacity, and that Smith 'had a book to sell' at the event. . . ."

" 'While I plan to step down as chairman in the coming weeks, today isn't good-bye,' Genachowski said, during a meeting with the agency's staff this morning that was streamed on the agency’s website. 'Until I leave, I intend to continue fully in my role, focusing on the work of the commission and helping ensure a healthy transition for the agency.' ”

Genachowski was praised by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies and the Minority Media and Telecommunications Council.

"In the wake of Joint Center research showing that only 69 percent of African Americans and 59 percent of Hispanics were using the Internet, the Chairman sought to ensure that the National Broadband Plan would address this problem. And since then he has led the way toward ensuring that communities of color will realize the enormous potential that digital communications technologies can mean for health care, education, civic participation and economic empowerment. . . ."

The MMTC said, "Chairman Genachowski’s data-driven approach to technology has set the foundation for future generations to participate in our society as first class digital citizens. Under his leadership, the FCC implemented numerous initiatives to close the digital divide, protect consumers, promote competition, and secure universal deployment of fast, secure broadband . . ."

"News of the US-brokered deal came on Friday as Obama was leaving Israel at the end of his first official visit during which he was praised for an emotional speech tailored to mainstream Jewish opinion but criticised for doing nothing practical to advance stalled peace negotiations and downplaying Palestinian suffering.

"The apology to Turkey for the May 2010 incident had been resisted by Israel until now, despite pressure from the international community. Both are close US allies— Turkey is a member of Nato — so the president was well placed to broker the deal. . . ."

"Well, Holder might have been heartened this past week by the myriad conversations in this city concerning a controversial Philadelphia Magazine article titled 'Being White in Philly.' It certainly got people talking. But whether the discussions will produce positive change or — like President Bill Clinton's National Conversation on Race — leave most people, black and white, unsatisfied is a question mark.

"The article by Robert Huber was well intended in wanting to report the belief of some whites that they can't express legitimate criticism of African Americans without being labeled racist. But the lopsided perspective, based solely on interviews with unnamed whites, came across as promoting stereotypes of blacks as criminals and slackers. The anonymous comments justifiably touched a nerve in a city with its own shameful history of racism toward African Americans, a city where too many poor, black neighborhoods remain racially segregated and economically isolated. . . ."

The editorial called on Philadelphia Human Relations Commission to "use the outrage over the magazine article as a catalyst for it to become a more forceful voice for the city's minority communities — and not just wait for crisis situations to erupt that demand its attention. . . ."

"For the first time, through the success of Achebe's best-known book, 'Things Fall Apart,' a world both distinctive and familiarly human as well as uniquely African won the hearts of an otherwise ignorant and insensitive and largely condescending reading public in Europe and North America, regarding African history and culture. . . ."

The Associated Press reported, "Achebe's death at the age of 82 was announced Friday by his publisher. His works inspired countless writers around the world, though the literary style of 'Things Fall Apart,' first published in 1958, particularly transformed the way novelists wrote about Africa."

Unity: Journalists for Diversity, Inc., is seeking an executive director and hopes to begin interviews for the job next week. The position pays approximately $110,000 to $120,000. Unity's members include the Native American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, the Asian American Journalists Association and the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association. The position description is here [PDF].

"Alina Machado has joined CNN as an Atlanta-based correspondent," Veronica Villafañe reported Tuesday for her Media Moves site. The network announced Alina will report for CNN, CNN en Español and CNN Latino. She was most recently a reporter for the ABC-TV affiliate WSB-TV2 in Atlanta and before that, she was at ABC 11 – WTVD in Raleigh. . . . "